The 2023 Dakar Rally has been disastrous for Audi. Eight phases into the Audi RS Q E-Tron’s second try and win the enduring cross-country rally, the German producer has no vehicles left within the high ten positions. The highest-placed Audi prototype, pushed by Mattias Ekström, is in twenty eighth. Ekström is over seven hours behind the chief, Toyota’s Nasser Al-Attiyah. Despite being out of rivalry for the general victory, Audi remains to be racing for delight and stage wins.
Earlier right now, in the course of the ninth stage, Carlos Sainz Sr. crashed his Audi RS Q E-Tron for the second time this Dakar. Sainz, a two-time World Rally Champion and father of F1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr., launched his electrical prototype off a dune just for it to dive nose-first into the sand. After reportedly complaining of ache in the best facet of his torso, Sainz radioed for medical consideration after his crash.
A medical helicopter arrived on the scene and Sainz was set to be airlifted to a hospital in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, for precautionary checks. However, in accordance with DirtFish, the three-time Dakar winner modified his thoughts mid-flight, ordering the medical helicopter to return him to his Audi. The group’s help truck was already there, making ready to evacuate the crashed Audi to the group’s rally base. Sainz was in a position to climb again into his repaired automotive to complete the stage, and can compete once more tomorrow.
Five phases stay on this 12 months’s Dakar, and whereas group Audi has had a string of dangerous luck, its autos have proven the tempo to win phases. Mattias Ekström received the prologue and Carlos Sainz Sr. received the opening stage. However, crashes and reliability points dashed Audi’s possibilities of taking what can be the first-ever Dakar win for an electrical car. A 3rd Audi, pushed by 14-time Dakar winner Stéphane Peterhansel, crashed out in the course of the sixth stage; Peterhansel’s navigator fractured a vertebra within the crash. Sainz additionally crashed and had a number of mechanical points, and was practically penalized for receiving outdoors help from his son, Carlos Sainz Jr. Maybe subsequent 12 months shall be higher for Audi.
Source: jalopnik.com